Road Test: Audi TT’s premium aura sure to attract buyers

As part of the build-up to the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Berlin hosted a striking exhibition entitled the "Walk of Ideas", comprising six enormous outdoor sculptures at prominent locations across the city.

Along the way you encountered a 12m stack of books commemorating the invention of modern book printing. The names on the spines ranged from Karl Marx to Martin Luther and from Gunter Grass and Goethe. There was a 25-tonne aspirin tablet in honour of German’s milestones in medicine. There was also a giant quaver in honour of the nation’s musical heritage, a giant football boot marking its sporting achievements and a four-metre high sculpture of Einstein’s relativity equation.

Amongst the six sculptures – and representing Germany’s rich history of car building – was an enormous model of the TT. Given the plethora of legendary brands and models to emanate from the home of the motor car, it was a remarkable accolade for the four-ringed coupe.

We could argue about that choice between now and the next World Cup, but in the home nation of Bauhaus design it was a distinct honour for a car first launched in 1998. It’s a further recognition of the quality of its design – a styling that I have to admit has never turned my head in the same way some of its rivals do – that this latest generation could not be confused for anything else. Only 16 years on the road and the TT has such a distinctive profile that a 10-year-old could stencil on his pencil case, if such things still exist.

Muscularity

The latest TT retains the unique design that is only getting better with age, while the benchmark cabin quality adds to the car’s overall feel-good factor. And yet every panel is different from the last version. It’s longer, wider and taller, and there’s a touch more aggression and muscularity in the look. It is a clever design that retains the old but introduces the new.

Inside the new TT, the most noticeable trait about the cabin is just how uncluttered it all is, particularly in comparison to rivals from the likes of Porsche. It still has the low seating position you expect from a sports car and there's a lovely feel to the flat-bottomed steering wheel. The centre console, arced towards the driver, is free from the usual array of dials and buttons. The controls that are there – or to hand around the car – are remarkably well weighted and styled in a way that would please Apple's head designer Jonathan Ives. One of the smartest features is the air-con controls, built into the dials on the vents. These are touches you'd expect to see on a €300,000 Aston Martin, not an Audi diesel.

Of course, this is still a sports car and so you have to duck down to get in, while the rear seats are only for toddlers or luggage. However, they do fold down and that creates up to 700 litres of space in the boot, the sort of figure you normally equate with a fully-fledged family saloon. That’s smart engineering.

Our test car was the 2-litre TDI 184bhp diesel and it's a surprisingly refined diesel, even when cold, and though we would opt for a 1.8-litre petrol version, the 2-litre diesel is the best fit for Ireland of the present TT line-up here. It may be heavier than its petrol equivalent and lack the Quattro grip but it's probably going to go unnoticed by its core suburban audience.

That said, the 230bhp 2-litre petrol is a tempting proposition, particularly as its the version offered with Audi’s corner-hugging Quattro four-wheel drive system. However, there’s a price difference of €1,100 between diesel and petrol, and €5,050 between the diesel and the petrol Quattro version. Given that most Irish buyers are looking for premium sports car looks and finish rather than racetrack performance, you can see why the diesel is going to be the engine of choice.

This engine is at its best in mid-range revs and never really feels off the pace on Irish roads. Audi’s electrically- assisted steering is still not as sharp as we would like, particularly when compared to rivals, and it’s perhaps the greatest gripe we have with the car. If they could offer a more engaging steering feel then it would transform the TT into a real driver’s car, regardless of straightline speed. In this regard, the new BMW 2-Series coupe remains the one to beat. The TT still has a tendency to understeer when you are too heavy on the throttle in a corner, but there’s a lot more poise to the car than the previous version in this regard.

Adjustments

Cynics dismiss the TT as little more than a redressed VW Golf and, in fairness, a great deal of its engineering did originate from the popular hatchback. However, it’s a cheap shot when you consider the attention to detail and engineering adjustments made to create this coupe. Buyers will, of course look, to the VW Scirocco for a comparison. A 150bhp 2-litre diesel Scirocco starts at €30,000. This TT 184bhp diesel starts at €47,550.

Yet I could justify the extra spend in terms of better styling, finish and a badge that I reckon is going to give the TT a much wider appeal on the used car market than the VW. What I would find harder to justify is the price difference between this and the likes of the BMW 2-Series coupe. Prices for the 218d start at €35,090 while the nearest rival to our test TT is the 220d M Sport with 190bhp at €40,940.

With due recognition to its seemingly timeless design profile and the top quality cabin finish, the issue with the TT has always been whether the performance ever matches the looks. Critics have long contended that its recipe for success was 70 per cent styling and 30 per cent sports car. They may be right, but sales suggest that’s the mix motorists want. The new TT adds a level of premium finish that goes some way to justifying the price tag. And it’s a car that comfortably sits alongside models twice its price.

The jury’s out on whether it’s the pinnacle of 125 years of German car design, worthy of a place in any new “Walk of Ideas” in Berlin, but it’s hard to see any of its rivals matching its appeal in the coming months on Irish forecourts. There’s a proper premium aura to the new TT and that will persuade potential buyers to sign on the dotted line.

Lowdown: Audi TT 2.0TDI 184bhp (manual) S-Line Engine:

1968cc four cylinder turbo diesel putting out 184bhp and 380Nm of torque @ 1,750rpm

0-100km/h: 7.1 seconds

Top speed: 241 km/h

L/100km (mpg): 4.2 (67.3)

Emissions (motor tax): 110g/km (€190 a year)

Standard features: Audi virtual cockpit; MMI radio and MMI Touch; Bluetooth; leather multi-function sports steering wheel; 18-inch alloys; leather alcantara sports seats; Xenon headlights; air-con; retractable rear spoiler; ESC; voice activation control; folding rear seats; front side airbags and knee airbag system for driver.

Price: €50,200 for S Line (2.0 TDI starts at €46,700)